THIS WAS WRITTEN IN 1935 - COVERING AN
AREA OF 30 ACRES IS THE LARGEST RAYON FACTORY IN THE WORLD THE
PARKERSBURG WV PLANT THE AMERICAN VISCOSE CO. THEY MAKE " CROWN
" BRAND RAYON THE VISCOSE CO WAS PURCHASED IN 1963 BY FMC CORP
CLOSED THERE DOORS IN 1974

HISTORY OF RAYON

AMERICAN
RAYON INDUSTRY BORN AT MARCUS HOOK
SAMUEL AGAR SALVAGE, THE FOUNDER OF THE AMERICAN RAYON INDUSTRY, WAS BORN IN
LONDON
IN 1876, THE SAME YEAR THE
CHESTER
TIMES WAS STARTED. THAT WAS ALSO THE YEAR THAT ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL INVENTED
THE TELEPHONE AND LOUIS PASTEUR DEVELOPED THE THEORY OF GERMS. THERE WERE, OF
COURSE, NO RADIOS, NO AUTOMOBILES, NO AIRPLANES, AND THE MAN-MADE FIBER CALLED
RAYON WAS YET TO BE PRODUCED.
SEVENTEEN YEARS LATER YOUNG SAMUEL SALVAGE SAILED FOR THE UNITED STATES TO SEEK
HIS FORTUNE-ONE OF 400,000 MEN AND WOMEN WHO IMMIGRATED TO THIS COUNTRY IN 1893.
ANOTHER 17 YEARS PASSED BEFORE SALVAGE CAME TO MARCUS HOOK.
HERE, AT HIS SUGGESTION, THE ENGLISH TEXTILE FIRM OF SAMUEL COURTAULD & CO.
BUILT THE FIRST COMMERCIALLY SUCCESSFUL RAYON PLANT IN THIS COUNTRY. SPINNING
"ARTIFICIAL SILK," AS IT WAS CALLED THEN, STARTED AT MARCUS HOOK ON A
SUNDAY NIGHT, JUST SEVEN DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS IN 1910.

PRODUCTION THEN AND NOW

TOTAL UNITED STATES PRODUCTION IN 1911, THE FIRST FULL YEAR, WAS 362,000 POUNDS
OF YARN. ALL OF IT WAS MADE AT THE MARCUS HOOK PLANT OF WHAT IS NOW THE AMERICAN
VISCOSE CORP.
FORTY YEARS LATER, IN 1950, TOTAL UNITED STATES PRODUCTION WAS 1,260,000,000
POUNDS. IN 1950 AMERICAN VISCOSE CORP. ALONE IN ITS SEVEN RAYON PLANTS MADE
416,000,000 POUNDS, OR MORE THAN 1000 TIMES AS MUCH AS IT TURNED OUT IN 1911.
PRODUCTION THIS YEAR, BOTH BY THE INDUSTRY AS A WHOLD AND BY THE AVISCO, IS
EXPECTED TO BE EVEN GREATER.
THE GROWTH OF RAYON TO ITS PRESENT OUTSTANDING PLACE AMONG THE WORLD'S
OUTSTANDING TEXTILE FIBERS IS ONE OF THE PHENOMENA OF THIS INDUSTRIAL AGE. ITS
SUCCESS IN THIS COUNTRY IS CREDITED LARGELY TO THE PERSEVERANCE AND CONFIDENCE
DISPLAYED BY SAMUEL SALVAGE.
AFTER LANDING IN
NEW YORK
IN 1893, YOUNG SALVAGE WENT FIRST TO
CINCINNATI
,
OH
, WHERE HE WORKED FOR A COMPANY OF WHOLESALE
CHINA
AND GLASS MERCHANTS FOR A YEAR. ACCORDING TO HIS OWN STORY, HE "BROKE TOO
MUCH GLASSWARE" AND LEFT IN 1896 TO GO TO
NEW YORK
.
HIRED BY LINEN FIRM
BUSINESS CONDITIONS WERE POOR THAT YEAR AND YOUNG SALVAGE RANG MANY A DOOR
BELL
BEFORE HE WAS HIRED BY J. B. LOCKE & POTTS, A LINEN FIRM. HE WORKED THERE
SEVERAL MONTHS, THEN BECAME ASSOCIATED WITH WILLIAM M. CROWE A YARN MERCHANT AND
- IN 1897 - STARTED HIS OWN SMALL BUSINESS AS AN IMPORTER AND SALESMAN OF COTTON
YARNS. UNDER THE NAME OF S. A. SALVAGE CO., HE GRADUALLY BUILT UP AN EXCELLENT
TRADE, PARTICULARLY FOR FINE-COUNT ENGLISH YARNS.

AMONG THE GOODS HE IMPORTED WAS SOME "ARTIFICIAL SILK" FROM
GERMANY
. HE FOUND A MARKET FOR IT IN THE BRAID AND TRIMMING TRADE, BUT NO ONE ELSE
WANTED IT. DELIVERIES FROM
GERMANY
WERE POOR, SALVAGE RECALLED YEARS LATER, "BUT I BELIEVED IN THE
PRODUCT," HE SAID. "WHEN SAMUEL CORTAULD & CO. STARTED TO MAKE
ARTIFICIAL SILK, I GOT HOLD OF SOME AND SAMPLED THE TRADE WITH IT. IT WAS
ENTIRELY SATISFACTORY AND I FINALLY GOT THEIR AGENCY HERE IN 1908".
IT WAS THE NEXT YEAR THAT SALVAGE WROTE COURTAULDS TO SUGGEST THAT THEY BUY THE
VISCOSE PATENTS FOR THE UNITED STATES AND BUILD A PLANT HERE. THE PROPOSITION,
SAID TO HAVE BEEN SENT ON A POSTCARD, WAS ACCEPTED; THE AMERICAN VISCOSE CO. WAS
FORMED, AND MARCUS HOOK WAS CHOSEN AS THE SITE FOR A PLANT.

INDUSTRY BEGAN IN 1910

BUILDING SOON STARTED, BUT WAS NOT COMPLETED, WHEN ON THAT FATEFUL SUNDAY NIGHT,
JUST SEVEN DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS IN 1910, A LITTLE GROUP OF ENGLISHMEN AND
AMERICANS GATHERED ANXIOUSLY TO WATCH THE FIRST YARN FORM AS THE VISCOSE
SOLUTION WAS PUMPED THROUGH A SPINNING JET. AS THE YARN FORMED THE AMERICANS
GREW EXCITED, BUT THE ENGLISHMEN, TRUE TO THEIR TRADITION, DID NOT CHANGE
EXPRESSION. AFTER ALL, THEY HAD SEEN THE SAME THING AT COURTAULDS IN
COVENTRY
,
ENGLAND
.
THE NEXT MORNING AT SEVEN O'CLOCK, WITHOUT CEREMONY, THE FIRST FIVE MACHINES
WERE STARTED. SOON RAYON WAS ALL OVER THE FLOOR, STUCK TO THE WALLS, THE BENCHES
AND THE CEILING, FOR ONLY A FEW MEN WHO HAD COME OVER FROM
ENGLAND
KNEW HOW TO HANDLE THE STICKY, WET YARN. MOST, IF NOT ALL, THE RAYON MADE ON
THAT MONDAY AND FOR SOME TIME TO COME WENT INTO THE WASTE BASKET.

IN 1916, SALVAGE WENT TO
LONDON
TO TELL THE DIRECTORS THAT A SECOND PLANT WAS NEEDED TO SATISFY THE GROWING
DEMAND FOR YARN. WITH SOME TREPIDATION HE REPORTED THAT EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS
WERE REQUIRED. "THEY TOLD ME," HE SAID IN LATER YEARS, "TO GO
RIGHT AHEAD-WHAT WAS IWAITING FOR? THEY WERE-AND ARE-VERY FAR-SIGHTED PEOPLE,
AND HAVE ENCOURAGED AND STIMULATED ME TO AN EXTRAORDINARY DEGREE. THE CONFIDENCE
THEY PLACED IN ME HAS BEEN PRICELESS." THEY FURTHER DEMONSTRATED THEIR
CONFIDENCE IN HIM THAT YEAR BY ELECTING HIM VICE-PRESIDENT OF VISCOSE CO.
THE SECOND PLANT WAS BUILT AT
ROANOKE
,
VA.
, AND STARTED OPERATING IN OCTOBER 1917. IT WAS FOLLOWED, AS THE YEARS WENT ON,
BY PLANTS AT
LEWISTOWN
,
PA.
;
PARKERSBURG
, WV.; AND FRONT ROYAL, VA.

NAME "RAYON" IS ADOPTED

AS OTHER PRODUCERS ENTERED THE FIELD PIONEERED BY THE VISCOSE CO., THE NEED WAS
FELT FOR A NAME OF ITS OWN FOR THE FIBER KNOWN AS "ARTIFICIAL SILK".
SALVAGE PRESIDED AT A CONFERENCE IN 1924 TO CHOOSE A NAME. MANY WERE SUGGESTED,
AMONG THEM "GLOS," "FILATEX," "KLIS" (SILK SPELLED
BACKWARDS), "GLISTRA," AND "FILACEL." KENNETH LORD OF THE
TEXTILE FIRM OF GALEY & LORD, INC., SUGGESTED "RAYON". THE NAME
MET WITH WIDE APPROVAL AND THE NEW FIBER AT LAST ACHIEVED ITS OWN IDENTITY.
SAMUEL SALVAGE WHO HAD ALWAYS ADVOCATED THAT THE MAN-MADE FIBER SHOULD STAND ON
ITS OWN MERITS, WAS WELL PLEASED.
IN MAY, 1925, SALVAGE WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE VISCOSE CO., A POST HE HELD
UNTIL 1937, WHEN HE BECAME CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD. TWO YEARS LATER HE RETIRED AS
CHAIRMAN, BUT REMAINED AS A DIRECTOR AND CONSULTANT UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 1946.
DURING HIS ACTIVE TENURE, THE COMPANY WAS THE LEADING PRODUCER OF RAYON IN THE
UNITED STATES-A POSITION IT STILL FIRMLY MAINTAINS.

GROWTH CREDITED TO RESEARCH

BORN IN THE LABORATORY, RAYON OWES ITS SUCCESS, IT IS GENERALLY AGREED, TO
CONTINUING RESEARCH. IT IS A SEARCH FOR NEW AND BETTER PRODUCTS, AT LOWER
PRICES, WHICH TOGETHER MAKE FOR A BETTER LIFE FOR EVERYONE.
THE FACT THAT RAYON IS MAN-MADE MEANS THAT, LIKE THE AUTOMOBILE AND THE
AIRPLANE, IT CAN BE ENGINEERED TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF AN INTEDED USE. FOR
THIS REASON AMERICAN VISCOSE CORP., HAS LONG RECOGNIZED THAT THE RAYON INDUSTRY
REQUIRES AN EXTENSIVE AND WELL PLANNED RESEARCH PROGRAM COVERING ALL PHASES OF
THE BUSINESS FROM RAW MATERIALS TO THE PRODUCTION OF FINISHED PRODUCTS BY ITS
CUSTOMERS.
THIS RESEARCH PROGRAM IS CENTERED LARGELY AT MARCUS HOOK. HERE, 12 YEARS AGO,
AMERICAN VISCOSE CORP. ESTABLISHED ITS UNIQUE TEXTILE RESEARCH DEPARTMENT, WHICH
CONTAINS THE ELEMENTS OF SIX OF MORE FULL-SIZE TEXTILE MILLS. THERE IS ONE FOR
COTTON SPINNING, ONE FOR THE WOOLEN SYSTEM OF SPINNING, ONE FOR THE WORSTED
SYSTEM, ONE FOR WARPING AND WEAVING, ONE FOR KNITTING, AND ONE FOR DYEING AND
FINISHING. HER, UNDER ONE ROOF, MAY BE SEEN AND STUDIED THE METHODS USED
THROUGHOUT THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY IN THAT INFINETLY COMPLEX PROCESS BY WHICH
TEXTILE FIBERS ARE CONVERTED INTO FINISHED GOODS.
THE DEPARTMENT'S WORK IS PRIMARILY RESEARCH ON NEW DEVELOPMENTS-NEW TECHNIQUES,
NEW MACHINERY, NEW FABRICS, NEW FIBERS FOR NEW USES, AND NEW USES FOR EXISTING
FIBERS. AT THE SAME TIME, IT CONSTANTLY CHECKS THE COMPANY'S PRODUCTS TO MAKE
SURE THEY PERFORM AS ITS CUSTOMERS WANT THEM TO.
AT MARCUS HOOK ALSO ARE THE COMPANY'S CHEMICAL RESEARCH AND MECHANICAL
DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENTS. AT
NITRO
,
WV
IS A RAYON STAPLE DEVELOPMENT PLANT, IN ADDITION TO THE COMMERCIAL RAYON PLANT
THERE, AND IN
NEW YORK
, IS THE FABRIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.

RAYON SUITS AND CARPETS

NEW KINDS OF RAYON, NEW PRODUCTS OF RAYON AND NEW MARKETS FOR RAYON ARE
CONTINUALLY BEING DEVELOPED. IN 1950, FOR THE FIRST TIME RAYON WAS USED IN MORE
THAN HALF OF ALL MEN'S SUMMER SUITS AND IN HEAVIER-WEIGHT SUITS IT PASSED FROM
THE EXPERIMENTAL STAGE TO VOLUME PRODUCTION. THIS FALL AND WINTER THE STORES
WILL FEATURE ALL-RAYON AND RAYON BLEND SUITS AND TOP COATS IN A
WIDE
RANGE
OF COLORS AND TAILORING.
AVISCO "15" A NEW CARPET STAPLE, WAS INTRODUCED ONLY A YEAR AGO. YET
SEVEN OUT OF TEN OF THE CARPET LINES ON
SALE
TODAY CONTAIN RAYON.
RAYON IS ALSO PLAYING A MUCH BIGGER PART IN THE CURRENT MOBILIZATION FOR DEFENSE
THATN IT DID IN 1940 AND 1941, AND IT PLAYED A BIG PART THEN. SOF FAR THE BULK
OF THE RAYON COVERED BY DEFENSE ORDERS IS GOING INTO TIRES, LININGS FOR
UNIFORMS, AERIAL DELIVERY AND CARGO PARACHUTES. THE ARMED SERVICES HOWEVER, ARE
EVIDENCING GREATER AND GREATER INTERST IN RAYON FOR USE IN UNIFORMS.
THUS THE COMPANY WHICH SAMUEL SALVAGE FOUNDED 41 YEARS AGO CONTINUES TO EXPAND.
BUILT ORIGINALLY BY THE ENGLISH FIRM OF COURTAULDS LTD., THE CORPORATION IS NOW
LARGELY OWNED AND MANAGED BY AMERICANS. THERE ARE 16,000 SHAREHOLDERS MANY OF
WHOM ARE AMONG THE CORPORATION'S 22,000 EMPLOYEES.
THE CORPORATION IS MANAGED BY A BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTED BY THOSE
SHAREHOLDERS. SEVEN CORPORATION EXECUTIVES ARE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. CHAIRMAN OF
THE BOARD AND PRESIDENT IS DR. FRANK H. REICHEL, WHO JOINED THE COMPANY IN 1946,
WHEN IT ACQUIRED THE ASSETS AND BUSINESS OF SYLVANIA INDUSTRIAL CORP., NOW THE
SYLVANIA
DIVISION WHICH MAKES CELLOPHANE.

POSTSCRIPT

IN LATER YEARS, AMERICAN VISCOSE CORP. WAS ACQUIRED BY THE FMC CORPORATION IN
SAN JOSE
,
CALIFORNIA
AND TODAY IS THE BASIS OF THEIR CHEMICAL DIVISION. IN THE LATE 1960'S, WHEN I
WAS A RESEARCH SCIENTIST AT THE STANFORD RESEARCH INSTITUTE, I HAPPENED TO SIT
NEXT TO JIM TAIT, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF
FMC
,
ON
A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT. IN THE COURSE OF CONVERSATION HE ASKED MY NAME AND THEN
ASKED IF I WAS RELATED TO HARRY CREWDSON. WHEN I SAID HE WAS MY GRANDFATHER, JIM
WENT ON FOR SOME TIME ABOUT GRANDDAD WHO HE SAID WAS THE SMARTEST ENGINEER HE
EVER MET.
WHEN JIM LEARNED THAT I WAS AN ENGINEER MYSELF, AND WORKED IN THE FIELD OF SHOCK
WAVE PHYSICS, HE INVITED ME TO VISIT FMC TO SEE IF I HAD ANY INSIGHTS TO OFFER
IN SOLVING SOME PROBLEMS FMC WAS HAVING IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FIGHTING VEHICLES
FOR THE ARMY. IT WAS NOT MY BACKGROUND OR PERSONALITY THAT IMPRESSED JIM TAIT,
IT WAS THE FACT THAT HENRY WAS MY GRANDFATHER AND MAYBE SOME OF HIS GENIUS HAD
RUBBED OFF ON ME. PROBABLY NOT ENOUGH RUBBED OFF BECAUSE I WAS NOT ABLE TO OFFER
ANY PRACTICAL HELP.